In the field of color photographic light-sensitive materials, extensive research have been made for increasing the coloring speed of couplers. In particular, for photographing (or in-camera) light-sensitive materials, the need for high-coloring couplers is high for increasing the apparent sensitivity and the image quality of the light-sensitive materials. If the reactivity of couplers to the oxidation product of a color developing agent is high, the sensitivity of the color photographic material containing the couplers is high. Also, when the reactivity of couplers is high, if a particularly high sensitivity is not required for the color photographic material, the amounts of the couplers and silver halide can be reduced. As a result thereof, the thickness of the silver halide emulsion layers can be reduced, to thus reduce light scattering of incident light. In other words, the sharpness of the color images obtained can be improved.
Conventional yellow-dye-forming couplers (hereinafter also referred to more simply as "yellow couplers") having a relatively high coloring property include the couplers described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,401,752, 4,511,649, and 4,587,207. However, the couplers disclosed in the aforesaid publications are still insufficient in one respect or another, e.g., the coupling reactivity is insufficient, the amount of the coupler must be increased due to low coloring density, etc., and hence further improvements in yellow couplers have been desired.